The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-04-14
FIVE NEGROES LYNCHED.
A Horrible Early Morning Tragedy in
York.

"A
York.
Yesterday morning opened on the
closing scene of one of the most fearful
tragedies ever enacted in York county.
With the brutal murder of the
little innocent boy, Johnnie Lee, Good.
on the evening of the 3Oth of last No
vember, our readers are familiar. On
that evening, as the Investigation of the
jury of inquest and the subsequent con-
fessions developed, the murderers, proved
to be Prindley Thomson, Bailey Dowdle,
Dan Roberts and Nose Lipscomb, with
a number of supposed accessories before
the fact, it being believed that a combi.
nation for the purposes of robbery and
murder existed among the negroes of
that neighborhood, in Bullock's Creek
township, and adjacent to Broad River.
Several of the accessories or accomplices
whose names were divulged by the
investigation were lodged in Jail, where
they now are.
Excitement ran high in the neighbor.
hood of the murder, as Indignation was
also manifested throughout the county.
The victim was an unoffending boy less
than fourteen years old, the son of we'll
to.do and worthy parents, by whom he
was idolized. In an unfortunate
moment, as Prindley Thomson confessed
in the Jail, the little boy detected him,
Nose, Dan and Bailey, in the act Of
stealing cotton from his fathers field.
To prevent exposure, the cotton thieves
brutally murdered him. Prindley made
this confession:
'I went with them after the cotton in
Mr.. Goods field, and left them there.
Bailey had the boys waist; I had his
legs; Nose was choking him, and Dan
carried the rocks We all went away by
the pasture field. Bailey hit him first
with the rock when we first got hold of
the boy. Dan saw the boy first. Dan
said: "Boys, yonder is Lee" Bailey hit
first, and Dan next. Nose jumped on
his bowels"
Such was the material portion Of
Prindley's confession, the wounds on the
dead body of the boy corroborating his
statement as to the manner of infiction.
After this confession was made and
became known, it being reasonably GER
tain of the positive guilt of Prindley,
Bailey, Dan and Nose, the pent up feel
ing of the western side of the county
found vent in threats of lynching, and
besides the four named, the blood of
Giles Good, the supposed instigator of
the crime, and accessory, was alo de-.
manded.
Sheriff Glenn, vigilant for the safety
of his prisoners, becoming satisfied that
the threat of lynching would be attempt
ed, on the evening of December 18th
procured an order from Judge Wither-
spoon transferring them tor safe, keeping
to the Jail at Columbia, and on that
night they were spirited away. True to
his expectations, about Z o'clock on the
following morning, crowd of about
seventy. five mounted men, undisguised,
approached the Jail, prepared with axes
and sledge hammers and some armed
with shot guns, and number Of them
securing an entrance through the corri.
dor, proceeded to the third floor and
commenced batteriDg the wooden shutter
covering the iron door which leads to
the cells. By the time the Sheriff was
aroused by the noise, and had run up to
the landing on the third floor, one pan
mel of the wooden shutter was knocked
out and the crowd were moving on the
works as though they meant business.
When the Sheriff interposed, the crowd
desisted until he convinced them that
the men wanted were not in the Jail.
The whole party, which, aside from their
demonstration on the Jail, had been quiet
and orderly, then peaceably rode out of
town.
The Sheriff foiled the would-be lynch
ers and saved his prisoners, who about
the hour of the demonstration were in
North Carolina on their way to Colum.
bia, where they remained until last Sat.
urday, when the Sheriff deputized DR..
A. Y. Cartwright and Mr.. James H.
Riddle, two men in whose courage under
contingent difficulties he had full conf
dence, to conduct the prisoners from
Columbia to Yorkyille. The transfer
ws.s accomplished without incident. and
on Saturday evening they were returned
to their old quarters in the Yorkville
Jail.
It was supposed that the excitement
and indignation incident to the murder
had subsidized, and certainly all feeling for
summary vengeance was slumbering
until Monday morning when the unmis'
taxable lunscy of the father of the MUIR
dered boy rekindled the anger of all who
witnessed the unfortunate man on the
way to the Asylum. No cautious
inquiry, however, could discover any
undue feeling in the general current OF
public sentiment. The inquisitive
newspaper man, in his suggestive way,
endeavored here and there to gain clue,
but every person approached upon the
subject expressed the opinion that the
law would take its course. Late Mon.
day evening the Sheriff felt a sense Of
perfect security, and Yorkville retired
Monday night little expecting to wake
up next morning to find five dead bodies
dangling from the limbs of trees almost
within the corporate limits.
The men chose for the time of their
work the wee small hours, and at hall
no,+ tha Chor;H who 10 olso iai1or was